Explosive shell.



' producing constituent of explosive shells. and compositions thereior. The blue powder" appears to particular advantage when it 1s.

tihll i ED @TATEd PATENT @FFlQE.

GILBERT RIGG, 0F PALMERTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO NEW JERSEY ZINC COMPANY, OF NEW YORK. N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

EXPLOSIVE SHELL.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known "that I, GILBERT RIGG, a citizen of the lnited States, residing at Pallnerton, ()arbon county, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Explosive Shells; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to explosive shells, and to smokes-prinlucing compositions for use therein. l I have found that the blue powder, which is obtained in the smelting of zinc, is a valuable substitute for magnesium as a smokeintiinately combined with other constituents, notably black gun powder, which will exert a stimulating action upon the conversion of the blue powder into a visible smoke.

As is well understood in the art, it is desirable that a smoke-producing composition for explosive shells should give a dense smoke which will have a reasonable capacity for hanging, thereby indicating the position of explosion of the shell with sufficient accuracy and .t'or a suitable time to permit observation. I have found thatcoinpositions containing the blue powder, and in particular compositions containing the blue powder with black gun powder, are well adapted for this purpose.

The blue powder used according to the present invention is the blue powder obtained in the distillation of zinc, being that part ot the distillate partially oxidized, so that it is made up of fine particles of zinc coated with zinc oxid. In the action of this tine blue powder, the intimate mixture of the metallic zinc and zinc oxid, when incorporated in a smokeproducing composition with black un powder, appears to have a favorable intliience upon the smoke-producing qualities of the composition.

By varying the proportions of the black gun powder. the com 'iosition can be made either oi good or weak explosive properties, or even without explosive properties. 'I have obtained good results with from to 60"; (it the blue powder mixed with from 701/; to 40% of gun powder. I have even Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 31, 191?.

Application filed February 3, 1916. Serial No. 76,022.

obtained a good explosion and a-white smoke by the use of a composition made up of 10% of the blue powder and 90% 6f" the gun powder. l Vith equal parts of the gun powder and blue powder a weak explosion was obtained, with a good smoke production. Practically no explosioirwas obtained with a mixture of 30% gun powder and 70% blue powder, while the smoke was nevertheless of a dense nature. A dense smoke is also produced by a mixture of about 25% gun powder and 75% blue powder. lVith this proportion, however, as well as with compositions containing equal parts of the. blue powder and .gun powder, or mixtures richer than in blue powder, the production of the smoke is somewhat slower, so that the smoke is produced in a somewhat progressive manner instead of instantaneously. This smoke production is, however, desirable in some instances, delaying or continuing the smoke production so that it can be more readily observed. i

As compared with smoke-producing mix tures containing magnesium, which unite readily and with explosive violence, the compositions containing blue powder ignite less rapidly and with less violence. In smoke production,however, the blue powder forms an important substitute for magnesium, with advantages not possessed by the magnesium compositions.

As above noted, gun powder appears of particular advantage as a constituent of si'noke-preducing compositions with the blue powder, cooperating with it in the production of the desired smoke from the zinc and zinc oxid of the blue powder.

In utilizing the novel smoke-producing con'iposition of the present invention in the manufacture of explosive shells, the usual methods of incorporation are available, the shell containing the composition having like advantages to those above indicated.

1. An explosive shell comprising a smokeproducing composition containing blue powder and black gun powder; substantially as described.

2. An explosive shell containing a smoke producing composition of blue powder and black gun-powder in suitable proportions to form a slow burning composition, substantially as described.

3. An explosive shell containing a smoke producing composition of blue powder and black gun-powder in the proportions ot from thirty to sixty per cent. of the blue powder and of from forty to seventy per rent. of the black gun-ponder, substantially us described.

An explosive composition comprising blue powder and black gun powder; substantially as (lQS('l'll)Q(l.

5. An explosive composition comprising blue powder and black gun powder in suitable proportions to form ii slow burning composition; substantially as described.

(5. An explosive (OIIIPOSlilUIl comprising blue powder and black gun-powder in the proportions of from thirty to sixty per cent. of the blue powder and of from forty to seventy per cent. of the guno\\'ilor.

In testimony whereof I iiiiix my signature.

GILBERT RIM 

